Board of Directors

MaryLou’s commitment to the mission of the Golden Valley Health Centers Foundation is deeply personal. Born in Merced and raised in the small farming community of Planada, California, she experienced firsthand the challenges faced by underserved and marginalized communities. As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant father and a native Californian mother of Hispanic descent, MaryLou was raised by hardworking entrepreneur parents who instilled in her the values of perseverance, service, and community. Growing up, access to healthcare was limited, requiring her family to travel more than 10 miles to Merced for medical and dental care because no local health centers existed in Planada. Those early experiences shaped her lifelong passion for expanding access to essential services and advocating for those in need.

MaryLou’s dedication to service began at an early age. At just 14 years old, she was introduced to nonprofit fundraising when she was nominated as her freshman class candidate for the March of Dimes Queen campaign. Motivated by a strong belief in the organization’s mission, she exceeded her fundraising goals and was crowned Queen, earning recognition from her California Assemblyman. The experience was transformative, igniting a passion for fundraising, volunteerism, and community engagement that has remained a cornerstone of her life.

Professionally, MaryLou spent 20 years in the medical insurance industry, where she served as a patient and client advocate, helping individuals navigate the often-complex world of healthcare coverage. Her compassionate approach and determination to champion the underdog made her a trusted resource for countless families. She later transitioned to the communications industry, retiring after a successful 20-year career with AT&T.

During her tenure at AT&T, MaryLou continued her commitment to community service by serving as a liaison to nonprofit organizations, including The United Way and the March of Dimes—a meaningful full-circle moment that reconnected her with the organization that first inspired her fundraising journey. She was also highly involved in AT&T’s Employee Resource Groups, serving as Finance Officer for HACEMOS (“We Do”), the company’s Hispanic employee resource group dedicated to raising funds for student scholarships. In addition, she contributed extensively through the Women of AT&T organization, leading and supporting numerous volunteer initiatives both within and beyond the workplace.

MaryLou’s dedication to service has been recognized nationally through the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which she received for six consecutive years, earning two Silver and four Gold awards for her outstanding volunteer contributions.

Since joining the Golden Valley Health Centers Foundation Board in 2023, MaryLou has proudly supported an organization whose roots trace back to her hometown of Planada, where the vision for Golden Valley Health Centers began more than 50 years ago. Serving on the Foundation Board allows her to help ensure that future generations have access to the healthcare services that were once unavailable to her own community.

Outside the boardroom, MaryLou remains deeply engaged in community service. She and her husband, Henry, have been active members of Club Mercedes, a Merced-based nonprofit social organization, for the past eight years. Through the club, they support scholarship programs, school athletic initiatives, and a variety of community fundraising efforts. Whether through board service, volunteerism, or grassroots community involvement, MaryLou continues to live out her belief that giving back is both a privilege and a responsibility.

For MaryLou, service is more than a commitment—it is a lifelong calling rooted in personal experience, strengthened by professional advocacy, and driven by a desire to create opportunities and improve lives for others.

Trey Regalo

Trey has worked in the oncology diagnostics and genomics field for 20+ years focused on the evolution of cancer treatment and personalized medicine. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and an MBA from St. Mary’s College of California. Trey was born and raised in Merced and moved to Modesto in 2003. As an active community member, Trey wants to help bring positive change and services to its residents. He and his wife and two high school children enjoy travel and try to get away often.

Karla Seijas, PhD, MPP

Dr. Karla Seijas serves as the Director & Chief of Staff for the Division of Equity, Justice, & Inclusive Excellence at the University of California, Merced. As a researcher, public policy professional, and community advocate, her work focuses on expanding educational opportunity, strengthening communities, and supporting military-connected populations.

Dr. Seijas specializes in public policy and military and veteran family issues. Her research examines the structural barriers contributing to the underemployment and unemployment of post-9/11 military spouses, as well as broader issues related to veteran transition and community integration. She has also helped advance legislative initiatives in California that expanded access to higher education for dependents of disabled veterans.

Dr. Seijas earned her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Humanities from the University of California, Merced. A native of Merced, she has deep roots in the Planada community and a longstanding connection to Golden Valley Health Centers. Her grandmother, Flora Martinez, was a longtime Planada resident and a founding board member of Golden Valley Health Centers. Inspired by a family legacy of service, Dr. Seijas remains actively engaged in civic and nonprofit organizations throughout California’s Central Valley.

Francisco Deleon Guerrero serves as a public representative. Currently a Mortgage Advisor for Gold Star Mortgage Financial Group, a local mortgage bank in Merced, Francisco has lived in Merced for over 14 years and considers the Central Valley a terrific environment to raise his family. Mr. Guerrero greatly supports GVHC’s mission of serving minority communities as he is part of a growing Pacific Islander community in the Central Valley.
Francisco began in the industry working for a large consumer bank, Wells Fargo. Subsequently, he pivoted to mortgage loans as an independently contracted loan signer while earning his Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from the University of California, Merced. During that time, he interned at Castle Air Museum as an Assistant Curator, cataloging and exploring database management solutions.
Mr. Guerrero is currently involved with a number of community organizations. He serves as a Committee Chair to the Merced County Realtors Association Closing Cost Grant Fund Committee, where he helped write new guidelines and procedures for fund implementation and management. Mr. Guerrero also serves as the Community Service Chairperson for Merced’s Young Professional Network, a non-profit organization that focuses its efforts on raising funds for monetary support for other nonprofits in the community.
In his free time, Mr. Guerrero loves to explore the sites and food scenes of the Valley and beyond with his wife, Hanna, and two daughters.

Martina Giselle Ramirez is Dean of the College of Science & Professor of Biology at California State University, Stanislaus. Dr. Ramirez received her B.S. in biology from Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and her Ph.D. in biology from U.C. Santa Cruz. Prior to Stan State, Dr. Ramirez was a professor and later an administrator at Pomona College, Bucknell University, Denison University, East Stroudsburg University, LMU, and St. Norbert College, where she served as Dean of Natural Sciences. Dr. Ramirez received the Rudinica Award for Student- Faculty Research from LMU’s Seaver College of Science & Engineering (2012); a Biology Mentor Award from the Council on Undergraduate Research (2013); and an LGBTQ+ Mentor Award from LMU’s LGBT Student Services Office (2016). Along with having published 22 scientific papers, including 14 with 59 undergraduate student co-authors, Dr. Ramirez is also co-author of a book, Happier as a Woman: Transforming Friendships, Transforming Lives (Cleis Press, 2019).

Tracy Blair

Ms. Blair has been a healthcare attorney for over twenty-seven years. Prior to joining Golden Valley Health Centers as its Vice-President and Chief Legal Officer, Ms. Blair started her legal career in private practice as a litigator. Ms. Blair’s litigation experience includes professional liability (medical malpractice), employment law, and business litigation, successfully trying several cases to final verdict. After becoming partner, Ms. Blair left her law practice and joined Valley Children’s Hospital as their Corporate Compliance Officer. After six years in compliance, Ms. Blair took on an in-house position, as the Deputy General Counsel and gaining additional experience in healthcare transactions, privacy, security, corporate governance, insurance, risk management, consent law, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate transactions. Although born in Ohio, Ms. Blair calls the Central Valley her home. Ms. Blair is a graduate of Fresno State University, summa cum laude, and was the valedictorian in her class at San Joaquin College of Law. Ms. Blair serves on several non-profits, including Clovis North Bronco Foundation and is an associate for La Feliz Guild, as well as being active in the Central California Down Syndrome Association. Ms. Blair enjoys spending time with her husband and two active sons. She is also an exercise fanatic, enjoying all things fitness, but especially running.

David Kamins: IT Business

David is dedicated to his community. He states, “I want to leave it better than I found it”. He is very active in service groups, chambers of commerce, and multiple nonprofit organizations that align with this very mission. David became a Golden Valley Health Centers Foundation board member due to the wonderful treatment he and his daughter and first child received. David was struggling with the recession, as many at the time were, and Golden Valley was there for them.

Professionally, David works for Mid Valley IT, the central valley’s fastest growing IT company

Shannon Egleston

Shannon is an enthusiastic and accomplished team leader with over 30 years of event planning and management, fundraising and community relations experience.

Shannon is a believer in giving back to the community and has been involved with and worked for non-profit organizations over the years. She loves seeing an event go from paper to production and to help create the environment to touch every person in the room and help them understand the mission – not just for that night, but long after.

Maria Rosales, Secretary Consumer Member, Turlock- Stanislaus County

Maria Rosales serves as Board member in the capacity of consumer representative. She served on our Board in 2015. She left to pursue a career with Livingston Community Health. Since then has left and is now employed by UC Merced. She holds a BA in Social Science and MA in Academic Counseling from California State University at Stanislaus. After High School, Maria took a substitute position at a local Head Start where she observed staff members that worked as liaisons between the families and the educational facility as well as the community. She was inspired to take a position at the Central Valley Opportunity Center as their Facilitator for transitional youth and displaced workers, but she realized her dream when she was hired by the Patterson School District as their Family Resource Center Director. At the Westley and Grayson center, she oversaw the literacy program for adults learning English. At the Patterson Resource Center she ran a program for Latinas that transitioned them from the literacy curriculum to GED programs and enrollment into Modesto Junior College. Maria resides in Modesto and enjoys spending time with friends and family. She also enjoys live music. Maria currently serves on the Personnel Committee.

Robert Anderson, Ed.D. Public Member, Merced County

Robert “Bobby” Anderson began his tenure on the GVHC Board of Directors in March 2016. Bobby serves as public representative. He retired in 2019 as the Dean of Instruction at Merced College who oversees the Allied Health, Business, and Public Safety areas on campus. Dr. Anderson came to California from Chicago as a basketball recruit for California State University, Fresno where he received his BA, MA, and Preliminary Administrative Services Credential. He worked in the private sector architectural field for several years and coached basketball at Fresno State before becoming an instructor and administrator within the Clovis Unified School district for 17 years. Dr. Anderson earned his Doctoral Degree in Organizational Leadership and Management from the University of La Verne along with a lifetime Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential. Before he retired his job was to administer the Allied Health programs, Bobby oversees the implementation of grant awards, endowments, and donations to support programs such as Registered Nursing, License Vocational Nursing, Certified Nurse’s Assistant, Radiologic Technology and Sonography. Additionally, Dr. Anderson supervised a variety of Merced College Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. These courses are established in partnership with local schools in an effort to provide college credit for high school students and facilitate their seamless transition to Merced College after graduation. Bobby is married to his lovely wife Ruth who is a High School Psychology and AVID instructor, and looks forward to bringing Merced College and GVHC’s partnership closer together in order to provide for the larger needs of the community, especially those in underserved neighborhoods. Bobby currently serves on the Personnel Committee.

Ernesto Gomez, Treasurer Public Member, Merced County

Ernesto Gomez is the Treasurer of the Board and serves as public representative. He is a Branch Manager and Senior Mortgage Consultant for Gold Star Mortgage Financial Group in Merced. As a lifelong resident of the Merced community, Mr. Gomez feels a strong bond to the area and its people as he spent summers as a teen alongside his grandmother in the fields picking grapes, tomatoes, peaches and peppers. After graduating from Merced High School, Mr. Gomez attended California State University, Stanislaus where he earned a degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Corrections. He interned and worked as a bilingual Probation Officer for Merced County for a few years before becoming a Gang/Drug/Crisis Intervention Counselor in the Merced Union High School District and the Atwater Elementary School District. During his time in the schools, he was able to steer local youth onto more positive academic and social paths. In 2006, Ernesto decided to change careers and secured his real estate license. He became a loan officer and eventually a manager for two branches. He acknowledges his biggest professional asset is his staff saying, “Without them, I am nothing”. Ernesto is married to his wife Rosemarie and they have five children and one granddaughter. He is involved in several community organizations including the Children’s Miracle Network, the Merced Cancer Society, and is also currently the Treasurer/Board Member of Tier One Tranquility Base, a non-profit geared toward mitigating Veteran Suicide. A patient as a boy, Ernesto has been back at GVHC as a Board member since February 2016 and is excited to give back to the organization. “Golden Valley’s services are critical to our community, so it is important that we continue to grow in order to meet people’s health care needs.” Ernesto currently serves on the Finance and Executive Committee.

David Carr: COO for Merced Rescue Mission

Dave began as a new board member of Golden Valley Health Centers in September 2022. David also serves as a Board Member for Jail Ministries, and is a Rotary Club Member. David holds two associate degrees in sociology and psychology. David is a Certified Alcohol and Drug counselor II with the state of California. David currently works as the Chief Operations Officer for the Merced Rescue Mission and has a heart for helping the homeless of Merced County. David is married to his wonderful wife, Jennifer, and together they have three boys.

Tamara Cobb, Consumer Member, Merced County

Tamara Cobb began as a new board member of Golden Valley Health Centers in October 2018. She serves as Board member in the capacity of consumer representative. Tamara earned a degree from Merced College in Administration of Justice. While completing her studies she sought and initiated the position as the first investigator for the Merced County Public Defender’s Office. She studied at Stanislaus State and City University in Washington. While employed as a booking officer she instituted a fingerprint verification release system. She served in the position of sergeant for King County Department of Rehabilitative Services. Over a thirty year span in law enforcement, she held positions within the Merced County District Attorney office, Washington State Employment Security, named to the position of Director of the Evergreen Collective through the Urban League of Washington.

Her interests include closing the achievement gap in public schools. She was publicly elected to the position of South Merced representative for the Building Healthy Communities-10 year project. She serves on several boards that promotes education, health, social justice and economic equity.

Currently she holds positions as United Domestic Worker Union Representative, Education Director and Executive Board Member for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She serves as an executive board member for the Merced Black Parallel School Board, the Merced County Office of Education Committee of African American Student Success, the African American Health initiative with Healthy House Coalition, and she is a Merced County Beachwood/Franklin board member. She serves as a document preparer with Love Faith and Hope non-profit. She has held various positions within the non-profit group South Merced Community Council. She is the Chairperson for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr annual celebration in Merced. She is MCOE certified to teach to teachers and the community on the issue of caring for the black child.

Marisella Guerrero, PharmD

Born and raised in San Joaquin County to immigrant parents who worked in agriculture, Dr. Marisella Guerrero brings a deep understanding of the importance of representation, advocacy, and equity in healthcare. Fluent in Spanish, she has used her language skills throughout her career to better serve diverse patients and communities. Dr. Guerrero has more than 25 years of experience as a pharmacist, practicing in a variety of healthcare settings. Although she still practices on occasion, she transitioned to academia in 2017. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of the Pacific’s Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, where she now serves as a faculty member. At Pacific, she chairs the School of Pharmacy’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, is advisor to the National Hispanic Pharmacist Association (NHPA) Pacific Student Chapter and actively engages students in outreach efforts that expand healthcare access and awareness in underrepresented communities. Her professional contributions include presenting at national pharmacy conferences on topics such as The Impact of Conscious and Unconscious Bias in Healthcare and Inspiring High School Students from Underrepresented Groups to Explore Careers in Pharmacy Through Increased Awareness of Pharmacist Roles. She is a member of the California Pharmacists Association, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, and the National Hispanic Pharmacists Association. She also serves on the Board of the Pacific Pharmacy Alumni Association. Beyond the university, Dr. Guerrero previously served as a Trustee for the Manteca Unified School District (2020–2024), where she championed equitable opportunities for students and families. A proud parent of two children, she enjoys running, playing piano and guitar, and traveling.

John Price, Vice Chair Consumer Member, Merced County

Mr. Price is the Board Vice Chair in the capacity of consumer representative. John has served on the Board since 1986. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics. He is also a graduate of the California Agricultural Education Foundation Fellowship Program; Certified Remodeler (CR) Certified Universal Design Professional (UDCP), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP). He owns Artisan Construction and Design, a complete design/build firm, serving Commercial and Residential Clients. Mr. Price is also a member of the Golden Valley Health Centers Foundation Board of Directors, is a Past President of the Merced Rotary Club, and sits on the Merced Chamber of Commerce Board. John is also an Elder at Central Presbyterian Church. He is proud of contributing to the growth of the GVHC Corporation over the last 35 years. John enjoys gardening, photography, camping and skiing. He resides in Merced with his wife Ellen. He has three sons: Derek, his wife Sarah and their three little ones, Jack, Kate and Grace; Byron, his wife Stephanie and their children Kaden, Riley, Kaleigh and Ryder; and the youngest son, Andrew. John currently serves on all the board committees, and is often a speaker at National Conferences.

Maria Vargas-Perez Consumer Member, Merced County

Maria Vargas-Perez serves as Board member in the capacity of consumer representative. Maria has served on the Board since 2012. Mrs. Vargas-Perez graduated in Mexico as a bookkeeper. Maria is currently furthering her education. She enjoys volunteering at the Healthy South Merced Project and has been Catechist at Sacred Heart Church for about 13 years. Maria occasionally will assist in the community clean-up and other projects. She has maintained a solid, healthy family that have become good citizens to the society. Maria enjoys to ride her bike with family and friends. She resides in Merced, as a house wife, with her husband Jose, her son Jesus and daughter Edith. Maria currently serves on the Quality Improvement Committee and Planning & Facilities Committee.

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